3D Printing InfoPrinter comparison
Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) vs Rat Rig V-Core 4
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) comparisonsMore Rat Rig V-Core 4 comparisons
| Property | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)COREXY | Rat Rig V-Core 4COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | Prusa Research | Rat Rig |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2). Prusa's e-shop lists "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2)" and "Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) Assembly kit"[1][2] | Rat Rig V-Core 4, sold in the US as "RatRig V-Core 4 3D Printer Kit"[3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | The CORE One+ (Gen 2) refresh was announced on 13 August 2026, on sale immediately, with the first assembled units shipping at once and kits, upgrade kits and individual parts rolling out over the following weeks. It succeeds the CORE One and CORE One+ on the same platform[4] | Not documented |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $1,202.78 assembled, $925.00 as an assembly kit, on prusa3d.com, Aug 2026. Bundles run to $1,301.85 with camera and advanced filtration. Prusa's own marketing table on the same page quotes "from $1,299" assembled, which does not match the live e-shop price[2][1] | $2,319.99 at Fabreeko for the fully-specified US kit (price includes shipping and duty in the continental USA), Batch 4, checked Aug 2026. 300 mm ABS-parts variant in stock, 400 mm down to one unit. Rat Rig's own base kit is priced separately in EUR[3][5] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | Three generations share the CORE One name: the original CORE One, the CORE One+, and the CORE One+ (Gen 2), with paid upgrade kits between them (CORE One+ to CORE One+ (Gen 2), and an MK4S to CORE One+ (Gen 2) conversion kit). The specifications recorded here are those published on Prusa's current CORE One+ (Gen 2) page and should not be assumed to hold for a first-generation CORE One. The INDX 4-tool and 8-tool machines are variants of the same product page, and the CORE One L is a larger, separate machine[1][2][6] | Three sizes (300, 400, 500 mm cubes) and three motion configurations: Standard CoreXY, Hybrid CoreXY (+$149.99, adds two motors to Y), and IDEX with two independent toolheads (+$450.00). Superseded by the V-Core 4.1. Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels are not included[3][5] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Current model and Prusa's mainstream enclosed machine, above the MK4S and below the CORE One L+[2] | Superseded by the V-Core 4.1, which adds a steel X gantry, a full-metal toolhead, improved part cooling, 8 mm beds on the 400 and 500 sizes and pre-made cables. Rat Rig sells a 4.1 upgrade kit for existing V-Core 4 owners[5] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 250 x 220 x 270 mm (manufacturer figure)[1] | 300 x 300 x 300, 400 x 400 x 400 or 500 x 500 x 500 mm. Sortable value is the 300 mm kit[3][5] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 415 x 444 x 555 mm (X x Y x Z)[1] | Not documented |
| Net weight (kg) | 22.5 kg[1] | Not documented |
| Frame construction & material | All-steel exoskeleton (Prusa's own comparison wording, against "aluminium extrusions and frame" for the MK4S)[7] | 30-series aluminium extrusion with printed ABS structural parts[3][5] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | Fully enclosed with a door-open sensor and active chamber temperature control up to 55 C; HEPA/advanced filtration is an optional add-on[1][7] | Open by default; enclosure panels sold separately[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Active chamber heating, maximum 55 C (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY - stated as such in Prusa's own comparison table against the Cartesian MK4S[1] | CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY, or Hybrid CoreXY IDEX depending on the configuration ordered[3] |
| Stepper motors (frame size, step angle, brand if known) | 0.9 degree X and Y stepper motors[1] | Not documented |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | Trinamic 2130[1] | TMC2209[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Nextruder direct drive, E3D V6 compatible with an adapter; planetary gear system with a 10:1 ratio; aluminium heatsink and all-metal hotend[1] | LDO Orbiter 2.0 direct-drive extruder[3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | 10:1 planetary gearbox[1] | Not documented |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Quick-swap nozzle system; high-flow Prusa brass CHT 0.4 mm nozzle supplied. An optional HT hotend raises the ceiling to 400 C[1] | Phaetus Rapido 2.0 UHF[3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 290 C claimed max nozzle temperature. Prusa's comparison table adds "400 C w/ HT" for the optional HT hotend, which its 13 August 2026 blog post says will only become available in September 2026 - so 400 C is a forthcoming option, not a shipping specification[1][4] | Not documented |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 120 C max heatbed temperature[1] | Not documented |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Magnetic heatbed with removable PEI spring-steel sheets; whole-bed heating regardless of object size[1] | Keenovo silicone bed heater[3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | Load-cell sensor - fully automatic first-layer calibration with the nozzle as the probe[1] | Beacon eddy-current probe[3] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Two filament sensors, plus a door sensor and five Semitec thermistors with fan RPM monitoring[1][7] | Not documented |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | MMU3 for five filaments, or the INDX system for up to eight, both officially supported[1] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting design | High-performance turbine part-cooling fan with 360-degree cooling, the same arrangement as the MK4S[1] | Nidec 4028 part-cooling fan[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | Custom 32-bit xBuddy board with STM32[1] | BigTreeTech Octopus[3] |
| PSU (brand, wattage, rail voltage) | 240 W PSU with hardware power panic[1] | Not documented |
| Total rated power draw | Power consumption 90 W printing PLA, 110 W printing ABS (manufacturer figures)[1] | Not documented |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | Open-source Prusa Buddy firmware. The source tree (prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy on GitHub) explicitly covers the Original Prusa MINI/MINI+, MK4, XL and CORE One and was last pushed to in August 2026. Updates are applied from a USB drive, through Prusa Connect or through the Prusa mobile app[8][7] | RatOS, Rat Rig's Klipper distribution[5] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 3.5-inch 65k-colour graphic screen with touch control[1] | Not documented |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | On-device touch UI; remote monitoring and printing through Prusa Connect and the Prusa mobile app; firmware updates from USB, Prusa Connect or the app[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | Ethernet and Wi-Fi (NFC receiver plus an optional Wi-Fi module), USB drive for print files[1] | Not documented |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Optional in-chamber camera solution (Buddy3D camera bundle listed at $1,237.03 against $1,202.78 for the bare printer)[1][2] | Not documented |
| Calibration Routines & QoL | ||
| Assembly level & time from unbox to first print | Not documented | Self-assembly kit; Raspberry Pi and enclosure panels sourced separately[3] |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | PLA, PETG, Flex, PVA, PC, PP, CPE, PVB, and - as advanced materials in the heated chamber - ABS, ASA, HIPS and PA[1] | Not documented |
| Safety | ||
| Thermal runaway protection (verify in firmware source if at all possible) | The xBuddy platform carries hardware overcurrent protection that cuts heater and heatbed power above 15 A, and the firmware is open-source and auditable[9][8] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 2-year warranty for consumers in the EU, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland; 1 year for EU enterprises and 1 year for the rest of the world, which includes the United States. A printer bought from a reseller or privately carries 1 year from the original delivery date and is handled by the reseller. Prusa advertises 24/7 chat and e-mail support in seven languages[10][7] | Not documented |
Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.
Sources for this comparison
- Prusa CORE One+ (Gen 2) product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/CORE One L comparison) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa 3D printers category listing with live e-shop prices, Aug 2026 prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- RatRig V-Core 4 kit (US distributor listing) fabreeko.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa blog - Better Prints, Easier Use: Prusa XL+, CORE One L+ and CORE One+ (Gen 2), Our Big Product Update (published 13 August 2026) blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Rat Rig V-Core 4.1 product page ratrig.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Prusa CORE One L+ product page (CORE One L+ Technical Specifications) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Original Prusa MK4S 3D Printer product page (Technical Parameters + CORE One+/MK4S/XL comparison table) prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- GitHub - prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware-Buddy (firmware for MINI, MK4, XL and CORE One) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa blog - Original Prusa MK4 is here (published 29 March 2023), including the MK4 specification table and launch prices blog.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc
- Prusa Knowledge Base - Warranty help.prusa3d.com · 2026-08 · doc